I didn't read all the posts, but I just seen a trailer for this game and according to the trailer, the game will be out this month.
Seems unlikely if they just started beta 2 fase, but you never know.
Trailer looks awesome though, and I am totally looking forward to the release.

Seriously way too easy to expand your city quicky. In the hour, I can have a budget of around $750,000 and about 250,000 population. Needs to be slower to accomplish these tasks and a slower game play.

Also, I've noticed a lack of "religious" buildings, such as churches and cathedrals etc. Maybe a future DLC?

Seriously way too easy to expand your city quicky. In the hour, I can have a budget of around $750,000 and about 250,000 population. Needs to be slower to accomplish these tasks and a slower game play.

Also, I've noticed a lack of "religious" buildings, such as churches and cathedrals etc. Maybe a future DLC?

Start off with getting a $50k loan at the start and just pour cash into industrial and loads of residential (tonnes of tax revenue, even on the 9% default tax rate), leave space for a mid-size section of commercial and industrial and watch it grow considerably. Then pay your debt off if you haven't already.

Then to really get the major cash flowing, build casinos. In the first few minutes you'll find that they'll be losing money but if you build the expensive rooms on top of the casinos and zone small amount of residential and some more commercial, visitors will come and stay to spend all their money. After a while you'll be able to upgrade your casino to the big shiney looking office block, and that's when the big cash flows your way!

Make sure the road systems in your city are also up to scratch and get a bus system with 2 bus stations (max out the busses) and a hell of a load of bus stops in place. Use the road upgrade tool if necessary.

Your factories will also grow if you educate your sims through the schools. So getting a decent school with pick up for the school bus system will allow your industrial factories to expand to bigger and better factories faster.

Also, I've noticed a lack of "religious" buildings, such as churches and cathedrals etc. Maybe a future DLC?

Maybe.

When I heard that Maxis wanted to deal with "social issues", involving mostly environmental issues like pollution and limited resources, I did a post on their website suggesting they go further, and vice industry to the game; drugs, prostitution, and gambling. It seems like you can specialize as a "gambling city", but I don't know how this influences the organized crime in the region and surrounding cities.

They could go from there and extend a political element... if your city is attractive at some point to young couples that want children, churches and other houses of worship will come up in residential areas. The church groups and the vice industry groups would then often have conflicting interests and agendas and show up at city hall to picket you on various issues, and the challenge would then be to balance their concerns. The same could be done with environmental/"open spaces" groups who represent residents and those that represent industry. Appealing to different groups could help you politically some how in the game.

Anyway, I think it would be a cool direction for the game, I would hope they do something like that.

I love this game. Streets weren't perfectly circular as the circle road option kept freaking out trying to lay it, even has some prime beach front properties right at the top right. Definitely going to buy this game. Please don't lecture me about NDA's, at this point every man and his dog has seen the game.

got my key around 4 am this morning, installed and played a few sessions.
only thing I don't like is the graphics, when you zoom in, its all blurry and fuzzy.(makes the game look cheap in my opinion)
the map is just to small,
but overall, ill be buying it on release day, I did enjoy a few hours of it,, even if it was an hour at a time.

got my key around 4 am this morning, installed and played a few sessions.only thing I don't like is the graphics, when you zoom in, its all blurry and fuzzy.(makes the game look cheap in my opinion)the map is just to small,but overall, ill be buying it on release day, I did enjoy a few hours of it,, even if it was an hour at a time.

Isn't the blurriness and fuzziness when zooming the Tiit-Shift effect in the Settings? It can be turned off I think.